fushigiyuugifandomcom-20200222-history
Forum:Peace
Hotohori sighed, pulling the jeweled crown from his head. With the threat of war drawing closer, his duties were more painstaking than ever. Despite the appalling pile of paperwork demanding his attention, he knew he had to have just a few minutes to himself. He slipped outside, heading for a small, secluded garden where he occasionally went when he needed some time to think. But when he reached it, a surprising sight greeted him. Nuriko was sitting on a low stone bench, surrounded by songbirds. Some were perched along his outstretched arm, while other had alighted on his shoulders, his knees, or nearby bushes. Nuriko was stroking the feathers of the bird sitting on his hand, while loose strands of his hair were gently tweaked by the ones on his shoulders. A soft, contented smile played across his delicate features, and Hotohori realized that it was the first time he'd ever seen the other seishi looking truly happy. ''There's always been sadness behind his smile, but now...''A sense of wistfulness that he didn't fully understand twisted briefly at his heart. Not wishing to disturb the scene, he turned to leave. But as he did so, he stepped on a twig, breaking it and the tranquillity simultaneously. There was a rush of wings, and in the sudden silence that followed, Nuriko called out, asking who was there. Feeling that something terribly fragile had been shattered, Hotohori stepped into the garden. "Gomennasai Nuriko, I didn't mean to disturb you." "Daijoubu, Hotohori-sama, it's nothing." Nuriko noticed the other's drawn appearance and faintly shadowed eyes. "Are you all right? You look tired." Hotohori shrugged, taking a seat at the other end of the bench. The garden seemed so quiet without the birds' cheerful chatter, and the silence suddenly irritated him, sharpening his voice. "I am tired. You know how things have been lately." Nuriko blushed. "I'm sorry, Hotohori-sama, I didn't mean..." The feeling of annoyance passed as quickly as it had come, leaving Hotohori regretful of his words. He cut off Nuriko's apology with a shake of the head. "I know. It was wrong of me to address what you said, rather than what you meant. I've been snappish lately, and I shouldn't be." "But Hotohori-sama, if anyone has an excuse for being short-tempered, surely it's you." Hotohori frowned. "Being emperor does not give me the right to treat my friends badly, nor does the weight of my duties give me license to use others poorly." He closed his eyes. "It's just that I can't help wondering why this had to happen in my time. Iie, in our time. For four hundred years Konan has known peace. Why not another forty? I love this country, and I love my people. It hurts me that they suffer while I can do nothing." Nuriko watched him a moment, violet eyes sympathetic and thoughtful. He held out his hand, and a brilliantly colored dove flew down to perch on it. Nuriko brought the bird close to his face and spoke to it, too softly for Hotohori to hear, and the bird returned to the tree. At a slight touch on his forearm, Hotohori opened his eyes. "Hold out your arm." Slightly puzzled, Hotohori did. A moment later there was a flash of bright wings, and the dove lit on Hotohori's hand. Eyes wide with astonishment, the emperor stared at the bird. The dove returned the gaze with inquisitive black eyes, cooing softly. "You can touch her, if you want. She won't bite." "She?" Slowly, as if afraid to scare the dove away, Hotohori reached out his other hand to run a finger along the delicate head. The feathers were warm and soft, and at the wonder of holding a living bird perched on his finger, Hotohori felt himself smile, his worries forgotten.. Nuriko smiled. "She's an old friend of mine. When I first joined the court, I'd come out here when I couldn't stand being with the others any more. The birds here weren't much used to people, as isolated as it was, and she came to see what I was all about." Nuriko grinned and addressed the bird in an affectionately teasing tone. "You and your curiosity! The nosiest little bird in the four kingdoms, never stopping to think what you'll get yourself into next!" Hotohori had to laugh. "Does she have a name?" Nuriko shrugged, eyes dancing. "Who knows what they call themselves? I don't speak their language." The dove nibbled affectionately on Hotohori's finger. "She's friendly." "Aa, more so than most of them. But now that they know you're a friend, any of them will come to you." Hotohori looked up and realized that the rest of the birds had returned. Reassured by Nuriko's presence, their curiosity prompted them to inspect this fascinating new person. Hotohori laughingly submitted to being tweaked, nibbled, pecked, and peered at. "I hope they don't get lonely while I'm gone. I try to spend at least a little time here every day." "Anshin shinasai, Nuriko. I'll make time to visit them. They won't be lonely." "Arigatou, Hotohori-sama..." Later that day, Hotohori sat back down at his desk. The few minutes he'd intended to spend in the garden had turned into hours, the sunshine and simple companionship more relaxing than anything he could remember. The paperwork was worse than ever, but somehow it didn't seem as terrible now. Silently, Hotohori thanked Nuriko for the infinitely precious gift he'd given him -- a measure of peace. Category:Watercooler